As Big Ten fans are well aware the SEC is still planning to play football this fall despite two of the Power Five conferences postponing their seasons a few weeks ago.
It’s become a complex and multi-faceted issue–as there’s a clear disconnect between Big Ten athletics and the conference’s leadership, there is no sense of unity throughout the sport, each conference’s medical information seems to say something different, players are finding a voice, parents are protesting, some schools are planning to have some fans at games, etc.
It is an impossible situation to unpack.
For Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban, though, there’s one reason he desperately wants to play this season: for the players.
Coach Saban with a passionate message about why he wants to play this season so badly for the @AlabamaFTBL players. pic.twitter.com/i9tnWUcjJs
— Roger Hoover (@Roger_Hoover) August 25, 2020
“This is about the players,” Saban said. “Everyone acts like we want to play for the money. We want to play for the players. I want to play for the players. We have a lot of guys on our team that can write a lot of value for themselves by playing this season…These guys have worked really hard to try to create and accomplish something as a team.”
The financial losses of not having full stadiums for games or even no season have been well-documented, as there have been studies and open letters from athletic directors explaining the impending losses.
For Saban, like for many of the Big Ten parents and coaches, it isn’t about the money involved. It’s about how much the players have had to sacrifice, how much many of them stand to gain from playing and accomplishing something as a team.
“All those things to me are important for the players,” Saban continued. “I want to play for the players. I know it’s important to the fans…but this is really about providing an opportunity for the players.
Related: An open letter from Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez on financial struggles during COVID-19
We’ll see if the SEC continues with their plans for the season and if they are able to do so safely. But one sentiment from the people involved with the sport has been clear through all of this: the money, lack of fans and more are not the most important variables here. It’s about the players.